GC3 User Manual V1.2

www.swellpro.com

GC3 is a waterproof 3 axis gimbal 4K camera designed for SplashDrone 3+,

capture ultra smooth video, whether in the air or underwater.

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02

02

Installation

Attention

04Operating the Gimbal

04

04

Gimbal Control

Camera Control

05Camera

05

05

06

07

07

08

08

08

08

Installing a microSD Card

Camera Information Display

Camera Buttons

Camera Parameter Settings

Video Settings

Photo Settings

System Settings

Camera Indicator Light

Playback

09Gimbal Calibration

09

10

Accelerometer Calibration

Gyroscope Calibration

10Maintenance

10

11

11

11

Soaking and Rinsing the gimbal

Lubricating the microSD card sealing plug

Defogging the camera lens

Hydrophobic lens coating

Contents

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DescriptionInstallation Diagram

1. Installation

1. If necessary, affix the quick release plate

to the bottom of the fuselage with the

mounting lug closer to the front of the

drone.

2. Remove the quick-release screw from

the mounting plate.

Attention

Your SwellPro Waterproof gimbal incorporates precise electronics and

corrosion-resistant materials that have been built to operate in the harsh

marine environment. Like any marine equipment, long-life and

trouble-free operation relies on due care and maintenance of the

equipment.

When landing on water, descend vertically to the surface at a controlled

rate. Landing with horizontal speed or impacting the water at speed

causes unnecessary strain on the gimbal and can cause damage.

After flying in salt or contaminated water, always thoroughly soak and

rinse the gimbal in fresh water immediately after use or before the water

can dry inside the gimbal mechanism.

If salt or other sediments are allowed to dry inside the gimbal, thoroughly

soak and clean all traces from the camera and gimbal before further use.

Refer to the Maintenance section of the manual for further details.

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Tilt ControlPan Control

DescriptionRemote Control Operation

Tilt Control Thumbwheel: Controls the camera tilt

from looking forward to looking straight down(0° to

-90°).

Pan Control Thumbwheel: Controls the camera pan

angle left and right of centre (-25° to 25°).

3. Mount the gimbal, with the camera

facing the front of the drone onto the

quick release plate and secure it with the

quick-release screw.

4. Plug the gimbal into the drone, taking

care to align the guides or pins on the plug

with the socket. When aligned, press the

plug firmly into the socket and tighten the

waterproof ring.

2. Operating the Gimbal

Gimbal Control

Video: Records Video

Preview: Previews without recording

Photo: Takes a still image

Video

Photo

Preview

DescriptionRemote Control Operation

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The SwellPro GC3 camera supports microSD cards with a maximum capacity of

64GB. When selecting a microSD card for use with your camera, for best results

always ensure that the card is rated for 4K video throughput Class 10 or UHS-1 or

better.

Do not insert or pull out the microSD card with the camera turned on as this may

damage data on the card.

If recording video, to save the file correctly, ensure that the camera is switched

back to Preview on the remote controller BEFORE turning the camera off or

removing the battery from the drone.

1. Open the soft rubber sealing plug at

the top of the camera.

2. With the microSD label facing the back

of the camera, gently insert the card into

the card slot.

3. Press the card down until you hear a

faint click and the card remains fully

inserted.

3.1 Installing a microSD Card

3. Camera

3.3 Camera Information Display

B16.2V P -0.1°R 3.3°

V 0.0M/SY 26.8°

15

00:07:00

0.0D 0MH 0M

FSATT

4K/3001H:21

00：06：50Available Recording TimeVideo Resolution

Recording TimeRed DotSlow Flash

4K/3001H:21

00：06：50

16M 7558P

4608X3456 Photo ResolutionNumber of photos remaining

Photo Mode3 5 10

Storage Card IconNo Storage Card

Video Recording Mode

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Power/Mode/Return

USB& MicroSD card

OK/RECUp/Down● Power/Mode/Return button

1. If the camera is OFF, press the Power button for 2sec to switch ON, the status indicator

light will flash 3 times.

2. To switch OFF the camera, press the Power button for 2sec to switch OFF, the status

indicator light will flash 7 times.

3. In Preview mode, press the Power button to cycle modes:

Video---Photo---Setup---Playback—Preview--- Video....

4. In Setup mode, press the Power button to return to the previous menu.

● OK/REC button

1. In Video mode, press the OK button to start and stop recording

2. In Photo mode, press the OK button to take a photo.

3. In Setup mode, press the OK button to enter the select the current option.

4. In Playback mode, press the OK button to start playing the selected video，during

playback pressing OK again will pause or restart the video.

5. In Playback mode, long press the OK button to delete the current file. The screen will

show a confirmation message. Use the Up/Down to select the tick mark and press OK

to confirm.

● Up/Down button

1. In Setup mode, press to move down through the menu, press and hold to move

upwards.

2. In Preview mode, press to switch between Video and Photo mode.

3.4 Camera Buttons

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Camera settings interface

Resolution

Loop Record

Microphone Volume

AWB

Video Settings

Loop Record

Microphone Volume

AWB

EV Value

Metering

Off 2Min 3Min 5Min

Off 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

AUTO/ Incandescent / D4000 / D5000 / Daylight Lamp / Cloudy / D9000 /

D10000 /Fluorescent /Water

-2 -1.7 -1.3 -1.0 -0.7 -0.3 0 +0.3 +0.7 +1.0 +1.3 +1.7 +2.0

Center Multi Spot

Video Resolution PAL： 4K: 3840×2160 25p 2.7K: 2720x1530 25p 2.5K: 2560X1350 50/25p

FHD: 1920×1080 100/50/25p HD: 1280×720 200/100p

NTSC：4K: 3840×2160 30p 2.7K: 2720x1530 30p 2.5K: 2560X1350 60/30p

FHD: 1920×1080 120/60/30p HD: 1280×720 240/120p

EXITOK POWERSHOOT

3.5 Camera Parameter Settings

Video Settings

Photo Settings

System Setup

Button Function At The Bottom Of The Camera

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Playback

Photo Settings

Green light fast flash 3 times

Green light fast flash 7 times

Green light slow flash

Power On

Power Off

Read and write data or video

System Settings

Photo Size

Self Timer

Photo Burst

Timelapse Photo

AWB

EV Value

ISO

Metering

16M(4608x3456 4:3） 12M(4000x3000 4:3） 8.3M(3840x2160 16:9）

Off 3Sec 5Sec10Sec

Off 3Pic/Sec 5Pic/Sec 10Pic/Sec

Off 3Sec 5Sec10Sec

AUTO/ Incandescent / D4000 / D5000 / Daylight Lamp / Cloudy / D9000 /

D10000 /Fluorescent /Water

-2 -1.7 -1.3 -1.0 -0.7 -0.3 0 +0.3 +0.7 +1.0 +1.3 +1.7 +2.0

AUTO 100 200 400 800 1600

Center Multi Spot

TV Mode

Light Frequency

Language

Format

Reset Factory Settings

Swellpro-V1.0.18

NTSC PAL

AUTO 50HZ 60HZ

English/ Simplified Chinese/ Traditional Chinese/ Russian/ Geutsch/

Francais/Italiano/Espanol/ Portuguese/Suomalainen/ Dansk/ Svensk/

Norsk sprak/Magyar/ Nederlands/ Slovencina/ Greece

Camera Indicator Light

180418000-00226AA 180418000-00226AA

Delete this file?

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PAN Control TILT Control

1. In Playback mode, short press the OK button to start playing the selected video, when

playing, short press the OK button to pause, short press again to continue playing.

2. In Playback mode, long press the OK button to delete the current file. The screen will

show a confirmation message. Use the Up/Down to select the tick mark and press OK

to confirm.

The sensitive gyroscope and accelerometer in the gimbal have been calibrated by the

factory. However, environmental conditions or a crash landing may require the gimbal

to be recalibrated.

If after powering up the gimbal, and allowing 15 seconds for the gimbal to complete its

power-up process, the picture is not level, the Accelerometer requires calibration.

1. Put the aircraft on a horizontal surface,

power on the Remote Controller and then

the drone. Wait 15 seconds for the gimbal

to complete its power up process.

2. Scroll BOTH the gimbal control wheels

(Pan and Tilt) to the FAR-LEFT and hold in

this position for 6 seconds until the gimbal

appears to lose power.

3. Insert a spacer to support the camera in a

perfectly level position. A thin book may be

suitable.

4. Hold the camera firmly in the level

position and scroll the right-hand (TILT)

control wheel to the hard right for 2

seconds.

5. Power down the drone. Remove the

Gimbal Lock and repower the drone.

6. The calibration is complete.

Accelerometer calibration

Insert a spacer to level the camera

4. Gimbal Calibration

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If the horizon of the camera alters after initially being level, the gimbal gyroscope requires calibration.1. Put the aircraft on a horizontal surface, power on the Remote Controller and then the

drone.

2. Scroll BOTH the gimbal control wheels (Pan and Tilt) to the FAR-RIGHT and hold in this

position for 6 seconds until the gimbal appears to lose power.

3. The gimbal will then recalibrate its gyroscope.

4. Power down the drone for at least 10 seconds and then repower the drone.

5. The calibration is complete.

Gyroscope Calibration

After completing the calibration, please power down and restart the drone.

The gimbal must be powered down and repowered to complete calibration. It is

normal for the gimbal to be out of level during the calibration process.

During the accelerometer calibration procedure, the camera Gimbal must be

placed on a horizontal surface, without any vibrations. If any abnormality still

persists after attempting calibrations, reboot the drone and re-calibrate the

Gimbal carefully following the instructions.

Like any marine equipment, long-life and trouble-free operation relies on due care and

maintenance of your equipment.

After flying in salt or contaminated water, always thoroughly soak and rinse the gimbal

in fresh water immediately after use or before the water can dry inside the gimbal

mechanism.

If salt or other sediments are allowed to dry inside the gimbal, thoroughly soak and

clean all traces from the camera and gimbal before further use.

5. Maintenance

Soaking and rinsing the gimbal

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1. Remove the camera from the drone

2. Locate a container just large enough to hold the

gimbal camera in an upright position.

3. Place the gimbal into the container.

4. Fill the container with clean, fresh water, being

careful to keep the electrical connector dry. Ensure

the gimbal motors are completely immersed.

5. Allow the gimbal to soak for 30 minutes.

6. Rinse the gimbal once again and dry before

storage.

To ensure a waterproof seal, the microSD sealing plug needs to be clean and free of

sand or other particles. A small amount of silicone lubricant can be applied to the

microSD sealing plug.

Lubricating the microSD card sealing plug

When cameras are subjected to changing temperature and humidity levels, it is normal

for some fogging of the camera lens to occur. To minimise the risk of fogging of the

camera lens:

1. Only open the microSD hatch in dry, warm conditions.

2. Store the gimbal in dry conditions with the microSD hatch open.

3. Should the camera fog during use, open the hatch in dry conditions and allow air to

circulate inside the camera housing. Condensation will usually dry within a few minutes.

Defogging of the camera lens

The lens of your SwellPro camera has been treated with a hydrophobic coating to help

disperse water quickly after landing on water or when flying in the rain.

Over time this coating can be removed by exposure to sunlight and the cleaning of the

lens. The outer lens of the camera is glass and can be retreated as required with

commercially available treatments such as ‘Rain-X’™.

Hydrophobic lens coating

2019.03

GC3 User Manual

SwellPro products are constantly being improved. Therefore, although the latest version

of this manual may contain information relating to a release of the equipment different

from your own, new information is added constantly which is relevant to ALL

customers.

Version Comments

1.0 Pre-release Manual for GC3

1.1 New Manual for GC3

1.2 Updated the Manual

6. Version Information